History and People

Human beings have occupied the space that is now in and around Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument for at least 10,000 years. Some have passed through. Others have come to stay. From the irrigators of the Hohokam culture to twenty-first century tourists in air-conditioned RVs, many have found ingenious ways for surviving in this land of few resources. Many along the way have succumbed to the desert’s unforgiving edge. This section of the website tells their stories.